Work supporting carriage



2 Sheets-Sheet Aug. 14, i945. H. E. soMEs WORK SUPPORTING 'CARRIAGE Filed May 15, 1944 Aug. 14, 1.945. H E. SOMES WORK SUPPORTING CARRIAGE n Filed May 15, 1944 y2 sheets-sheet 2 JNVENToR.

Hou/aldi'. 5022265 v Patented Aug. 14, 1945 WORK SUPPORTING CARRIAGE Howard E. Somes, Detroit, Mich., assigner to Budd Induction Heating, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa., a. corporation of Michigan Application May 15, 1944, Serial No; 535,680

3 Claims.

This invention relates to machine tools and other work performing equipment of the character having vertically reciprocable carriages for holding workpieces during the performance of consists in certain features of construction and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings and then claimed.

In the drawings which illustrate a suitable embodiment of the invention'.

Figure 1 is a fronrt elevation of a heat treating machine selected for illustration of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a transverse section taken approximately on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view of some of the parts shown in Figure 3 showing the cross head supporting means in cross head supporting position; and

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken approximately on line 5--5 of Figure 4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in

which like numerals refer to like parts through-v out the several views, the machine selected for illustration is a heat treating machine forin-v ternally hardening the bore of an elongated tu` work thereon. 5 bular member Ill. The machine base IIin this The invention is particularly directed to that case extends vertically and iS fOrmed With `e character of work supporting carriage in which relatively deep depieSSiOn .l2 in its iront' face spaced reciprocable side rods are interconnected Which, in effect, pIOVdeS spaced Vertical columns at their ends by heavy cross heads having means, l 3- such as chucks, for supporting a workpiece be` 10 Mounted on the face of each column I3 is a tween the side rods. vertical rod I4 which is secured at its lower vend In order to accommodate workpieces of difin' spaced relation to the column face by a suitferent lengths, it is desirable to so mount one of able clamp l5. Although not shOWn in the drawthe heads that it can be moved on the side rodsv I ings,` the upper end cf the I'd I4 iS Secured in a' for movement to a predetermined adjusted posil5 similar manner to the upper end 0f the c01-r tion toward or away from the other cross head. umn I3 f A When the carriage is vertically reciprocable and The IOdS M form the guides OI e Vertically the cross heads are spaced a considerable disreeipreeeble carriage, generally designated 16,* tance apart, say, for example, eight or ten feet,l which include long cylinders Il and upper and considerable diilculty is encountered due to the 20 lOWeI cIOSSheedS I8 and 9 respectively. These weight of the cross heads, in effecting this adcrees heads Carry suitable E@bucking devices justment. v and V2I, respectively, for supporting the oppo- It is the object of the present invention ,to site ends of the workpiece I0 to be heat treated. provide in a machine having a carriage of the The cylinders surround the rods I4 which arev above character, novel means for supporting one provided with cylinder portions 22 intermediate of the carriage cross heads during movement, of their ends and are reciproeebly guided thereby. the other cross head relative thereto to an ad- AS iS ccliventiOnal practice in devices of this justed position, which means is Simple in concharacter, iiuid'under pressurer is admitted to struction and can be expeditiously actuated into the Cylinders at Ole Side 0I y'die Other 0f the piS` cooperative supporting relation with respect to tons 22 to effect vertical movement lof the carthe cross head to -be supported. riage I 6. Fluid admittedto the cylinders above With the foregoing and other objects in View the pistons 22 provides upper ycarriager movewhich will be apparent from the following dement whereas uid admitted below the pistons soription to those skilled in the art to which 22 provides downward carriage movement. the invention appertains, the present invention In the machine shown, heating and quenching heads 23 and 24, respectively, are provided on the ends of supporting arbors 25 and 26 which` after the workpiece I0 isin position are brought into the position shown and, in the operation of this particular machine, the carriage moves the workpiece Ill longitudinally of .the heating and quenching heads 23 and 24 during which movement the heating and quenching operations are performed.

Suitable cam bars 21, which form no part of the present invention, are secured through removable clamps 28 to the cylinders II and are used in controlling the operation of the machine. By removing the 'clamps 28 the cam bars 2l may be removed from the cylinders Il.

In order that the carriage I6 may accommodate workpieces of different lengths, the upper cross head I8 is made adjustable for movement on the cylinders Il relative to the lower cross head I9 to any desired position. To this end,

32 having spaced supporting bars 33 and an interconnecting cross piece 34. The bars 33are slidable transversely of the columns I3 through recesses 35 formed in the columns I3 irom a retracted position, as shown in -Figure 3, to a forward position to underlie the carriage I 8, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. The bars 33 are guided at their rearward ends between vertically spaced n* cross bars 36 which are secured by bolts 31 to the rearward side of the depressed region I2.

In order to accomplish the adjustment of the upper cross head I 8, the cam bars` 21, when used, are rst removed. Then the carriage is 'elevated byits .actuating mechanism for a slight distance, after which the carriage supporting device is moved` forwardly to position the projecting ends of the bars 33 as shown in Figures il and 5, underneath the cross head I8. The carriage is then lowered untilthe cross head I8 rests upon the projecting ends of the bars 33. The machine screwsr 3| which clamp the sections 30 tothe cross head are then loosened sufficiently to relieve the'clamping pressure on the cylinders I1. The carriage may then again be actuated vertically upwardly whereby, since the upper cross head is supported on the bars 33 and is free from clamping engagement about the cylinders I1, thecylinders I1 are moved vertically upwardltr through the cross head to the position necessary for obtaining the desired spacing between the chucks and 2|.

When this position is attained, the clamping screws 3| are tightened to again securely clamp the cross head I8 to the cylinders Il, after which upon elevation of the carriage the supporting bars may be retracted to the inoperative position shown in Figure 3.

It is obvious that the arrangement described is applicable to any vertically reciprocable carriage arrangement wherein an upper cross head is so arranged as tc be released from secured engagement with its support for relative adjusting movement.

Various changes may be made in the detailed construction and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit and substance of the invention the scope of which is defined by the appended claims.

able means for clamping said uppermost cross head to said carriage, and extendable means carried by said base portion and being extendable to a position to supportl said uppermost portion independently of said carriage whereby upon release of said clamping means said carriage may "be" vertically moved relative to said uppermost cross head.-

2. In a machine for performing work upon a workpiece, a vertically disposed machine base, a pair of spaced, parallel Aguide rods secured in vertical position Ato said base, a, vertically-reciprocable work supporting carriage supported on said guide rods for.vertical movement relative thereto, said carriage having vertically spaced cross heads thereon, one of.y said cross heads being movable to an .adjusted positionon said carriage toward and away from the other, releasable means for clamping said one cross headin adjusted position to said carriage, and an extendable means carried by said base and being extendable to a position to support said one cross headV against downward movement whereby upon'release of said clamping means said carriage may .be lmoved relative to saidone cross head to change the spac# ing between said cross heads. v

` 3. In a machine for-performing work upon a workpiece, a vertically disposed machine base, a pair of spacedparallel guide rods secured in ver tical position to said base, a: vertically reciprocable work supporting carriagevincluding cylinder members vertically reciprocable on said guide rods and a pair of vertically spaced cross heads rigidly interconnecting said cylinder members, the uppermost of said cross heads being movable to adjusted positions on and longitudinally of said cylinder memberstoward and away from the other cross head, releasable clamping means for clamping saidy one cross head in adjusted position on said cylinder members, and an extendable means carried by said base and being extendable relative thereto to support said one cross head against downward movement whereby upon release of saidv clamping means said cylinder members and said other cross head may :be moved relative to said uppermost cross head to change the spacing between said cross heads.y

HOWARD E. SOMES. 

